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McAfee released in Guatemala, flies to US

Anti-virus software founder John McAfee has been released from detention in Guatemala and is heading to the US, said a Guatemala Interior Ministry official.

Guatemalan immigration officials have escorted McAfee to the Guatemala City airport.

The former Silicon Valley millionaire said he will catch a flight to Miami, Florida. "I'm free, I'm going to America," he said.

John McAfee's Belizian girlfriend, Samantha Vanegas, waits for his arrival at the Aurora international airport in Guatemala City.

McAfee, 67, was detained last week for immigration violations after sneaking into Guatemala from Belize, where authorities sought to question him about the murder of his neighbour, fellow American Gregory Faull.

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McAfee has led the world's media on a game of online hide-and-seek in Belize and Guatemala since he fled after Faull's death, peppering the internet with quotes and revelations about his unpredictable life.

"I'm happy to be going home," Mr McAfee, dressed in a black suit, said as he was escorted to Guatemala City airport. "I've been running through jungles and rivers and oceans and I think I need to rest for a while. And I've been in jail for seven days."

Guatemala's immigration authorities have been holding McAfee since he was arrested last Wednesday for illegally entering the country with his 20-year-old Belizean girlfriend, Samantha Vanegas. McAfee said he would keep paying lawyers to work on getting his Vanegas a US visa.

Police in Belize want to question Mr McAfee as a "person of interest" in Faull's death, though the tech guru's lawyers managed to block an attempt by Guatemala to send him back there.

McAfee and Faull had argued at times, including over McAfee's unruly dogs, authorities in Belize said. They said McAfee is not a prime suspect in the investigation.

McAfee claims Belize authorities will kill him if he turns himself in for questioning. He has denied any role in Faull's killing and said he is being persecuted by Belize's ruling party for refusing to pay $US2 million in bribes.